Dr. Brittany N. Hupp  

Science as a discipline can often be intimidating, yet we inherently interact with and observe scientific principles in our everyday life. My goals in teaching and in outreach are to break down the stigma around scientific thinking and encourage people to use their observations and reflect on their own experiences to better understand how the Earth system works. This is often best accomplished in the lab or field, where students have an opportunity to make observations, form hypotheses, and test them, ultimately being active in their learning and creating more experiences for them to recall upon for understanding. Similarly, I strive for students to be able to connect what they are learning to the real world applications and implications. How do humans impact phenomena such as ocean acidification, global warming, and changes in ocean circulation, and conversely what are the societal implications of perturbing these Earth systems? By teaching about Earth's history, I also hope to provide greater historical context needed to better evaluate modern changes in the Earth system. I believe that by breaking down stereotypes of who can be a scientist and highlight that anyone is able to think scientifically, we can help students and the public to become more informed global citizens and advocates for our Earth.